


Picture Perfect

by SittingInSilence



Series: 3AM Thoughts Come To Life [2]
Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Gen, i dont even know, thrift shopping gone wrong
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-13
Updated: 2016-06-28
Packaged: 2018-03-01 08:01:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 6,143
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2765669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SittingInSilence/pseuds/SittingInSilence
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Thrift shopping: It's all fun and games until someone gets painted.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Should Have Stayed In Bed

Josh groaned and turned over in his bed when he realized the knocking hadn't just been an overly realistic part of his dream. All he wanted to do was sleep the day away, much like he had done yesterday and the day before, but clearly that wasn't going to happen with someone relentlessly pouring on his bedroom door.

"Josh, wake up," a voice said from the other side. He recognized who it was immediately.

"Go away, Tyler," Josh mumbled back. "I just want to sleep."

Tyler sighed. "I'm coming in."

The door to Josh's room was pulled open and light from the hallway flooded in, followed by Tyler. He walked to the side of Josh's bed and pulled the covers off of him.

"Dude, get up," Tyler said as he poked Josh in the side. "We've been on break for six days and you haven't left your house once."

Josh sat up in his bed and pouted. "How did you even get in my house?"

"You're mom let me in," Tyler answered. "Now get up."

Josh pouted even more. "Mom! How could you betray me?" he shouted.

From somewhere within the house, the kitchen it sounded like, Mrs. Dun yelled back. "He's right you know. You need to get out of the house. You keep eating all my food!"

Tyler laughed and Josh frowned.

"Seriously, though, dude," Tyler said as he opened up the blinds to Josh's room. "You need to get out and do something."

"Whay should I listen to you?" Josh whined.

"Because I'm the lead signer of the band and we always have to do what I say," Tyler joked. He smiled at Josh, and then in a softer, more sincere tone added, "Because I'm your friend and I care about you."

Josh groaned and mumbled something along the lines of 'fine' as he rolled out of his bed and grabbed a clean shirt and pants. After his short shower he walked into the kitchen where he found Tyler sitting and talking with his mother.

"Alright, I'm up. Now what?"

"Now," Tyler said, "we have fun."

Turns out Tyler's version of fun was not going to see some random movie and falling asleep halfway through, much like Josh had been hoping. No, Tyler's idea of fun involved walking the streets of downtown and going into every possible thrift shop and music store. If Josh was being honest with himself, it was actually really fun just to hang out with Tyler like this and make fun of each other as they tried on ridicilous aticles of clothing, but Josh wasn't going to give Tyler the satisfaction of knowing that he was right about Josh needing to get out of his house.

"Dude, Josh," Tyler called out. "You've gotta come see this."

Josh set down the hat he had been holding and walked over to the wall Tyler was looking at. In front of thm was a large oil painting of a peaceful looking meadow. It was pretty, but Josh didn't really understand Tyler's facination with the painting.

"It's a cool picture, but what about it?" Josh asked.

Tyler didnt say anything. Instead he reached out to touch the painting, but his hand never touched the canvas. It went through.

"What the," Josh whispered. He stuck his own hand into the painting. His hand was warm and it felt like there was a slight breeze.

"Are our hands in the painting?" Josh questioned.

"I think so?" Tyler replied. "Should I stick my head in there?"

"What? No, that doesn't sound like a smart idea at all," Josh stated. "Let's do it together."

Tyler cracked a smile. They looked around to make sure no one was wacthing, and on the count of three, they stuck their heads through the painting.

They felt a breeze brush against their faces and a sun other than the one outside the shop they were in was warming their cheeks. In the distance they heard a bird chirping and a stream flowing.

When they pulled their heads out, they tunred to eachother.

"Was that real?" Tyler asked. "That felt real. Like the breeze, and it even smelled like I thought it would."

"It did feel real," Josh agreed. "That's so weird."

"Yeah," Tyler said. "Almost too weird for me. I don't like it. Only bad things come from stuff like this."

"I don't like it either. No matter how cool it was, it kinda freaks me out. Let's get out of here."

"Yeah, okay," Tyler replied.

Josh took a step forward to follow Tyler out of the small store, but his foot caught on something. His arm flew out to grab onto someting to catch his fall, but it went through the painting. When he tried to pull it out, it pulled him back in.

"Tyler, the painting won't let go of me," he panicked.

Tyler tunred around and walked back towards Josh. "What do you mean?"

"Its pulling me in!" Josh cried. He had never liked being stuck in places or small areas. It was his biggest fear. He fought against the pull of the oil, but it wasn't letting go. Instead it tugged him in deeper up to his shoulder.

"Dude, calm down. We'll get you out," Tyler tired to reassure Josh. He grabbed ahold of Josh's other arm and tried to help get him free, but it wasn't helping. The painting was pulling back harder.

"Tyler! I don't like this!" Josh exclaimed. Ha gave another tug on his arm, and again the painting pulled back. Suddenly his whole upper torso went throught the canvas.

Tyler pulled even harder on Josh's arm, but he could feel himslf losing his grip. It was like tug-o-war with some invisible force, and Josh was so unfortunate as to be the rope.

Tyler took a step back to try and get better leverage, but he tripped on whatver Josh had tripped on in the beggining. He fell backwards and Josh's arms felw out of his hands. Tyler looked up just in time to see Josh's feet disappear behind the oil.

"Josh!" Tyler screamed. He scrambled to his feet and tried to reach into the painting, but his hands met a solid surface. "Josh!"

"Tyler?"

"Josh! Can you hear me?"

"Barely," came the faint reply.

"Okay. I can't reach through the painting to get to you," Tyler said. He was worried. He knew Josh didn't like being thrust into new places and situations without someone else with him. "Are you okay?"

"I landed a bit weird, but otherwise, I'm okay I think."

Tyler breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay. I'm going to try and find the owner, okay? We're going to get you out of there."

"Okay. Please hurry though," Josh whimpered.

Tyler ran to the front of the store. An older gentleman dressed in a plaid shirt smiled at Tyler when he walked up to the counter.

"How can I help you?" he said in a thick country accent.

"Sir, my friend fell through one of your paintings," Tyler explined. The man's eyeborws shot up. "Look, I know that sounds bizarre, but you have to believe me."

"No, no, no," the man said. "I believe you. It's not the first time it's happened."

Tyler's eyebrows knitted together in confusion and bewilderment.

"Show me which painting, boy," the old man sighed. "Some of them have mosters."


	2. The Right Words

"It's this one here with the meadow and the-" Tyler left the old man's side and rushed over to the painting. "Josh?"

In the middle of the meadow was a figure sitting on the grass with his head down and his hood pulled up.

"Josh, you're a part of the painting," Tyler whispered in awe.

"Yep," the old man said as he joined Tyler. "That happens sometimes if a person goes in 'em and stays in one spot for a while. That boy was smart in not straying from the meadow."

"Huh," Tyler said. "Wait, so what you said earlier, about the monsters, this painting doesn't have any, right?"

"Hold on," came Josh's muffled voice. He had been able to hear every word so far. He stood up and walked over to the floating frame in the middle of the meadow that he had fallen through. "Monsters? There are monsters in here?"

"Yes," the old man sighed. "But not in the one you're in, son. Don't worry. The worst you got are some annoying talking bunnies."

"Oh, okay," Josh sighed in relief. He could deal with talking bunnies.

"So," Tyler said. "I do believe the biggest question right now is how do we get Josh out of there?"

"Well, you see," the old man ran a hand through his beard as he spoke. "That's the thing. We don't."

Both boys' eyes widened.

"Come again?" Josh asked. He couldn't believe what he had just heard.

The old man sighed and ran a hand through his beard, an apologetic look appearing on his face as he did so. When he spoke, he spoke slowly. "I'm sorry, son, but I don't get to decide when you get to come out of there."

"Then who does?" Tyler asked.

"The paintings."

Suddenly the canvas before Tyler and the old man began to change. The paints swirled around and changed colors and soon they were staring into the eyes of Josh as his crestfallen face filled up the foreground. Tyler took a step back and focused his gaze on the ground. He had no idea if Josh could see him, but he didn't want to see that look on his friend's face.

Tyler felt guilty staring back into Josh's eyes. He had tried to convince him to leave his house even though Josh didn't want to. He had promised that it would be fun, but now Josh is stuck in a painting. It was all his fault.

"I'm sorry, Josh," Tyler whispered.

Josh whispered something in reply, but the canvas and layers of paints distorted it to the point where Tyler couldn't comprehend it.

"How about you take it home," the man said to Tyler. "I'd give it to you free and you bring it back when your friend gets out. That way you can keep an eye on him."

A small smile spread onto Tyler's face. "That would be great."

An hour later and Tyler had finished hanging the painting on the wall of his house's living room. It had take some convincing to get his mother to say yes to it, but after explaining the situation over and over again she agreed, partly just to humor her oldest son.

"How are we gonna tell my mom," Josh spoke up.

"Oh, geez," Tyler sighed. He ran his hands through his hair for what seemed to be the millionth time since he got home with Josh. "I didn't think I would ever have to tell my best friends mom that he's stuck in a painting."

"To be fair, I never planned on getting stuck in one, so..." Josh's voice trailed off. Behind him in the painting he could hear the distant chatter of voices. He guessed that they were the bunnies.

"God, Josh, I'm so sorry," Tyler suddenly exclaimed. "If I hadn't i insisted that you left your house this would have never happened!"

Josh shrugged his shoulders even though he knew that Tyler couldn't see him. "It's okay. Our goal was to have an interesting day right? What's more interesting than getting stuck in a painting?"

Tyler laughed. "That is true."

They say in silence for the next few minutes. Neither really knew what to say, but that was understandable given their current situation. Tyler watched as the paint swirled around on the canvas, updating Josh's current position, as Josh walked around the small meadow and listened to the sounds of the other world.

"Well," Tyler eventually sighed, "I guess we have a phone call to make."


	3. King Of Everything

Josh had no idea what time it was in the world he was trapped in. The sun never seemed to change its position and the temperature was constant. He guessed that about five hours had passed since Tyler had brought the painting to his house, but it could have been longer. It would help if he could see the outside world from his picture frame that hung in the middle of the field, but sadly there was nothing in it. He could press his hand up against it, like putting his hand on glass, but that was it.

His mother had stopped by a while ago to hear the explanation from Tyler. She had freaked out quite a bit at first, which was expected, but calmed down after they had told her that the worst in store for Josh were just talking rabbits.

"I'm going to go to bed, okay?" Josh heard Tyler say. "If anything happens, just yell for me. I won't be able to do much but just, call for me, okay?"

"Okay," Josh replied. The distant chatter from the bunnies was growing louder. He thought he could see them at the edge of the cleaning.

"Don't get into trouble."

"I'll try not to."

Josh heard the distant sound of light switches being turned off and a door closing. He sighed and sat down in the field and ran his hands through the grass, like he had done maybe hundreds of times in just the past hour.

Suddenly, to his right, a voice spoke.

"Excuse me, sir."

Josh turned and was face to face with. soft pink colored bunny.

"Can I help you?" Josh asked.

The bunny hesitated then spoke again. "Are you from the picture frame?"

Josh nodded.

The bunny took in a shaky breath, only adding to the growing feeling of  _not right_ that had settled in Josh's stomach.

"Might I ask what your name is, sir?"

Josh frowned at the small talking creature. He contemplated giving a false name, but figured that nothing bad could happen. The old man had said that the bunnies were harmless.

"Josh," he eventually replied.

The bunny gasped and turned to face the edge of the meadow.

"It's him!" the bunny shouted. "The prophecy was right! Our king is here!"

All at once, a wave of multi-colored rabbits burst from the edge of the meadow and bounded towards Josh. Cheers of happiness rang in his ears as the wall of bunnies crowded around him.

"Our king!" they shouted.

"Our savior!" they yelled.

Josh's frown deepened as he tried to back away from the growing crowd.

"You've got me confused with someone else. I'm not a part of your prophecy," he said.

The first bunny he had spoken to shook it's head.

"You are Josh with hair the color of our fur. You are the Chosen One."

Josh pulled a strand of his hair in front of his eyes. The artificial dye was still as bright as ever.

"Shit," he whispered.


	4. Homesick

"I'm telling you guys. I'm not who you think I am!" Josh cried for the hundredth time. "I play drums in a band and call my mother every night. I'm not some 'savior' or anything."

The group of bunnies that were gathered around him looked up at Josh with sad eyes. He could tell he was only making them more and more upset, but he wasn't who they thought he was. He was just Josh.

"But the prophecy said," a small purple bunny whimpered. "It said you were the one."

Josh buried his face in his hands to hide himself from the talking animals he was letting down. He couldn't handle all of this. For starters he was never really a fan of new places. They tended to give him anxiety and he was constantly scared he would get lost, just like that one time when he was in the fifth grade. The second thing that was bothering him was, no surprise, talking rabbits. He couldn't even wrap his head around it. Third of all he was  _in a freaking painting_. Not even one of those fan art things, which he really enjoyed, but no. He was physically inside a painting. Talking to rabbits. Hoping Tyler wild find a way to get him out.

"Are you okay?" a yellow bunny asked softly.

Josh looked up and met its eyes. They were kind and gentle. He could tell that all they wanted to do was help.

"I'm fine," Josh replied. He wasn't, but he didn't want to upset them anymore than he already had.

"Are you sure?"

Josh sighed. "It's just weird, you know? I woke up this morning to my friend dragging me out of my house and telling me to get a life, and now I'm sitting in some field that I thought was just part of a painting talking to rabbits who tell me that I fulfill some prophecy if theirs. It's so weird."

A rather furry bunny hopped closer Josh and rested its head in his knee.

"I'm sorry," it whispered.

Josh reached out and idly pet it's head. "It's okay. Just give me some time to think about all this."

After a few minutes passed, Josh slowly stood up and walked towards the other end of the meadow. He was hoping to get away from the bunnies and be with his thoughts for a few minutes, but of course, they followed him. First it was just the bunny that he had been petting, but soon the rest followed in suit. Josh sighed and sat down on the grass again.

This could be worse, he thought.

And it was true. It could be a lot worse. Josh could be alone. He could be starving. He could be freezing. He could be trapped in a hole that was slowly filling up with poison.

Suddenly, being surrounded by talking bunnies wasn't too bad.

Off in the distance, Josh heard what he thought was Tyler's voice, but he waved it off as his imagination. There had been too many times in just the past few minutes that he had thought he heard someone calling out to him and answered, only to be met with nothing but silences and disappointment.

"Please hurry, Tyler," Josh whispered as the rabbits around him began to drift off into a dreamless slumber. "I really want to leave."


	5. Research

While Josh was busy worrying about getting home and playing tag with his new found friend, Tyler was busy researching. He had gone back to the old antique shop and spent hours talking to the old man and the guy's mother, who was syeps ugly still alive.

They had seen this happen before, but according to them, the painting had given the people back within a few hours, and in some cases, mere minutes. The only other time someone had been trapped in there was because the girl didn't want to come back to the real world. Eventually her parents convinced her to leave the painting through bribery. It was hard for the girl to resist when her parents offered to pay her entire college tuition for her.

"But isn't there anything else you can tell me? Anything else you know?" Tyler pleaded. "I want my best friend back. He's supposed to be in my wedding. I need him."

The old lady sighed and rested her hand on Tyler's shoulder. "It will all work out in the end. If he never returns, maybe that's what his destiny is."

Tyler looked up from where his hands were buried. "And that's supposed to make me feel better how?"

"It will put your mind at ease so you will believe that everything happens for a reason and the universe is at balance with itself."

Tyler glared at the lady.

"Alright it won't. But it was worth the try. Figure it out yourself, kid."

And with that the old lady left the room, leaving Tyler to stand awkwardly with the shopkeeper as he tried to apologize for his mother's actions.

Tyler left the shop as soon as he could. He didn't know what to do. The painting wasn't open; he had tried to go through it at least twice every hour. It never gave way to his hand like it had the first time. Tyler kept having to fight back tears.

After a stop at the library and unloading at least ten thick books books from his car, Tyler took out five energy drinks and his laptop. He figured that if the shopkeeper and his mother weren't going to be any help, he would get Josh back himself.


	6. Nothing

Tyler tore through the front door of his house and bounded over to the wall that Josh's painting hung on. His sunglasses were askew and his hair was standing up in weird angles. Papers were falling out of the large books that he held tightly to his chest and his breath came out in short puffs.

"Josh!" he screamed desperately as he finally stopped in front of the painting. "Josh! I found out how to get you out!"

Tyler was grinning ear to ear. He was beyond excited; he was ecstatic. He had finally found out how to get his best friend back. Granted, he didn't know if it would even work, but at least he had something to go off of, and that was all Tyler had wanted for the past few days.

"Josh! Did you hear me?" Tyler screamed again.

Worry began to set in. Tyler tried not to think about it. Usually Josh was right in front of his side of the painting, waiting for Tyler. And if he wasn't, he at least always hollered back withing a few moments.

"Josh?"

Tyler waited a minute.

Nothing.

Two minutes.

Still nothing.

Sixteen minutes passed and Tyler's voice was beginning to grow hoarse.

Still, nothing came from the other side of the painting.


	7. The Quest

From the other side of the painting, where the bunnies could talk and looked like pastel skittles and the trees grew taller than any other man had seen, Josh was sitting with his feet dangling into a lavender stream. He was shaking, but he wasn't cold. His mind was racing, but yet he thought of nothing. In the distance, he could hear someone calling out to him, but he didn't know if he was just imagining it or not. He ignored it. His nerves were too high to believe anything his ears whispered to him.

"Are you ready, my King?" a bright red bunny asked timidly.

Josh sighed and nodded his head. It was now or never, he told himself.

Slowly Josh stood up and put on the rest of the new clothes the bunnies had provided for him. They had been lying around for decades, and we're Josh's size exactly. It still freaked him out. On top of the clothes, he placed the leather armor. It made him feel big and important and mighty, even though he still believed himself to only be a drummer and nothing more. He couldn't be a kind. He could be the Chosen One. He couldn't be the one who had to go on this mystical trek into the high mountains to retrieve the stolen Gem and fight off The Beast. That couldn't be Josh's purpose. He wasn't meant for any of it.

"The troops have gathered. We will protect you along the way, but when you go up against The Beast, we cannot aid. His saliva is venomous to us and we would die immediately," the bunny explained as Josh got dressed.

"And what about me?" Josh asked.

The bunny shrugged. "We do not know. We hope that you will be fine."

Josh winced. "That's reassuring."

"The troops are moving, my lord. We must join them."

Josh sighed. "Lead the way."

Josh followed the red rabbit down a small dirt path into a tiny cleaning. Tightly packed trees surround the empty patch of grass and a lone tree stump stood in the middle. Hundreds of more vibrantly colored bunnies were gathered around it, awaiting Josh's arrival. They made a path leaning to the stump. For a second, Josh thought he heard someone call his name again, desperation laced throughout the cry, but Josh ignored it. All the bunnies new his name, he was sure it was only one of them. Besides, it was still too far off for Josh to be sure.

Josh stood behind the stump, letting the red bunny talk to the troops. He may be their King, but he was no military leader. He could barely even do it right in the video games where he got multiple chances to do everything, let alone lead actual living bunnies into a battle of sorts.

"The time had come, my fellow citizens of the Meadow," the red bunny said. "We must follow our King and protect him through his journey. We might help him fight his battle. In the end we will be victorious. In the end, we will have our Gem!"

The bunnies erupted into shouts. Josh was taken aback, expecting to laugh, but the rabbits all sounded like grown men. It was terrifying.

"Now, we march!"

And so they did.


	8. Wandering Wonder

It took hours upon hours for Josh and his army to reach the base of one of the smaller high mountains. He was tired and hungry, which was the first time he had experienced such feeling in this strange new land. Up until now he hadn't needed to eat or to sleep. He only ever closed his eyes because it was a break from all the madness that was going on around him. It kept him same from staring at the empty picture frame day in and day out.

"Please hurry, Tyler. I miss you," Josh whispered to himself as the bunnies journeyed into the mountains.

He thought about his life back home as he follows them deeper and deeper into the maze of steep rocks and ate age plants. He thought about how he wished he had spent more time with his family and friends, seeing as getting back to them might not happen any time soon. He wished that he had told them he loved them more. He knew he needed to work on that. He didn't take them for granted, but sometimes he forgot that a simple "I love you" or "You make me happy" could mean more than brining the morning paper in could.

He thought about the fans. How he loved them so much. How all he wanted to do was get out and play with ten and for them and be together with them. They were his lifeline in a way. They helped make him feel alive. He depended on them as much as they depended on him.

He thought about dying. What d he does while fighting The Beast? Would he remain dead? Would some mystical power take him back to him home? What would happen? How would his family know? What would they do? What would he do?

What if he never got out? He couldn't make music anymore. He couldn't see his siblings or his mother or father. He couldn't play shows or do interviews. He couldn't hug his friends or even tell them how much they mean to him again. He'd never be able to eat a double bacon cheese burger with extra bacon and a side of fries again. He wouldn't be able to pet his cat or celebrate Christmas or go to church or see a sun that he knew shining down on the grass that he would never feel again. He couldnt do anything anymore.

"Is my King okay?"

Josh pulled himself from his own thoughts and looked down to his side. A smaller, dark blue rabbit was looking up at him with big black eyes, conveying innocence and concern rather than rage and fury like the other rabbits had. This one was different. Friendly.

"Oh, uhm, yeah. I'm good," Josh replied. "Just thinking."

The rabbit nodded it's head. "It's never healthy for one to lie when the truth is so blatantly obvious to all."

Josh stopped for a moment and looked at the rabbits. It's expression never changed.

"I'll remember that."

And with that, they continued to walk.


	9. Don't Give Up On Us

Tyler was on the floor. His bloodied hands clutched onto the broken frame of the painting. The canvas lay three feet in front of him. His loud and heartbreaking sobs echoed throughout his house.

"He's gone!" Tyler wailed. "He's gone!"

Mrs. Dun and Mrs. Joseph stood in the kitchen door way, looking out upon the broken boy. Their hearts shattered with every cry he made. They had watched the whole thing go down. They had watched him tear himself apart.

Tyler had run in with books and papers falling from his arms. He rushed over to the painting. When he heard nothing back, he snapped. He tore the painting from the wall and ripped the frame apart. He was yelling and crying. Nothing and no one could stop him. His heart had been torn in two. No one but Josh could help, and everyone but Josh was there.

After his desperate cried turned to silent whimpers, Tyler's younger sister slowly walked up to him.

"Hey, Ty," she whispered. "What's up?"

"He's gone," he cried. "I waited too long. I can't get him back. He's gone."

"How do you know he's really gone?"

"I can't hear him anymore. That's the first sign. And soon the background will stop moving. I've lost him. I've failed."

"How do you know he just hasn't wandered off? Maybe he just wanted to explore."

Tyler looked up with dad and bloodshot eyes. "You think so? You think I can still get him back?"

"Of course. There's no harm in trying. Plus, what if he did just wander off and you gave up now? Then he would really be trapped."

Tyler sat up and slowly nodded his head.

"You can still save Josh, Ty. You can do it," she whispered.

Tyler nodded his head with more assurance. "I can do it," he said.

"I can save him! I'm coming for you, Josh!"

And with that Tyler started started digging through his papers. He ran to the kitchen, pushing past the two mothers, and dug through the spice cabinet. After ten minutes of mixing and almost exploding the whole house, Tyler took the mixture and sprinkled it all over the canvas. Then, he started chanting.


	10. The Fight For Life

Josh stared at The Beast in front of him. His lungs were burning and blood was slowly dripping down his face. He had been battling for an hour now, desperately trying to slay the monster. He had severed its leg, but that didn't stop it. One of its eyes were gone, but still The Beast fought back, pushing Josh closer and closer exhaustion and death. 

The bunnies cowered in the entrance of the cave. The saliva of The Beast would disintegrate the bunnies if they came in contact with it, and Josh wasn't about to let them sacrifice their lives. They were too good to die right now. He, however, had lived his life. He had made memories. He most likely wasn't going to get to go home. He had accepted the eventuality of his own death. 

The Beast lunged at Josh again and he screamed in agony. His chest piece had been ripped from his body and now dangled from the sharp teeth of the monster in front of him. He could feel the wet burn of a fresh cut in his stomach. The scratch above his eyebrow had been more than enough, and the almost broken ankle was just plain cruel, but going after his abdomen was too much. 

Josh let out the most frightening scream he had ever been able to tell and changed at the beast, sword raised and ready to strike. The Beast roared back and brought its giant paw down in front of Josh. Josh stopped it with his sword and smiled as The Beast howled in pain. Blood splattered across Josh's face, but it didn't bother him. It fuelled his anger. 

A new wave of energy passed trough Josh and every muscle in his body was on fire. He wanted to be home. He wanted to be with his family. He wanted to be with his friend. He wanted his life back. He hacked away and the stunned monster and tore apart the menacing creature, laughing as The Beast's injuries became increasingly worse and smiling as the pools of blood grew. 

The Beast lay half dead at Josh's feet. It's one eye that was still functioning was burning into Josh's, as if it was daring him to make the last move. Josh smirked. 

"The stomach!" one of the bunnies cried. "The Gem is in the stomach!"

Josh brought down his sword and sliced the stomach open. Guts and blood poured from The Beast, along with something else. A bright green gem tumbled out onto the ground. Josh picked it up and hobbled over to the rabbits, victoriously holding the Gem over his head. 

The Beast had been slain. He had won. 

The bunnies erupted into screams of joy. A few were crying. Josh smiled and barely handed the Gem to the closest bunny before the room began to darken and spin.


	11. I See Home In Your Eyes

Tyler looked down into the smiling face of his best friend. There was dirt on his checks and blood smeared on his forehead. A large gash cut through his left eye brow. His lip was still bleeding. 

"What did you get yourself into?" Tyler whispered. He pushed a piece of Josh's hair back behind Josh's ear and smiled. 

"Wasn't my fault. The bunnies talked me into it," Josh laughed. His voice was hoarse. 

Tyler laughed a little too. He didn't quite understand what Josh had said, but based off the strange armour and various cuts and bruises, he guessed that a lot had happened on the other side of the canvas. Things that may even be beyond his comprehension. 

"How do you feel?" Tyler asked. He shifted Josh's head so that he had it cradled in his lap, with the rest of Josh's body lying at slightly odd angles; his feet still pointing towards the canvas, through which Tyler had pulled him out. 

"I'm feel happy," Josh replied, a simple smile stretched across his face. "I'm happy."

Tyler was surprised. "You're happy? How? You're all cut up and broken and you're probably starving and exhausted. How can you be happy?"

Josh just shook his head. "I got the Gem," he explained. "And I learned things and made friends. I'm happy."

Tyler just looked down at him. 

"But most of all," Josh continued, "I'm home. I'm back with you."

Tears began to fill Tyler's eyes. He had missed his best friend. The other half of the band. The peanut butter to his jelly. The only person he would ever dream of sharing all of himself with. 

"You're home," Tyler whispered. "You're home."

The two stayed seated on the living room floor for a while. The rest of their families hid behind the kitchen door, dying to go and see Josh, but also knowing that the two needed their time  together. They had seen Josh and Tyler go through just about everything, but this was the first time that they had gone through something big without the other being there. Even when they had fought in the past, they still stayed in the same room and played games and talked it out and vented to each other. They were each other's missing part, whether they knew it or not. 

Eventually Tyler helped Josh to his feet and guided him around the wreckage to the kitchen. A window was smashed in, dust littered the floor in piles, the coffee table was over turned and charred, half of the couch was thrown across the room, and the frame of the painting was splintered and smashed, while the canvas itself had a ledge hole through the center. 

"Ty, what happened to your living room?"

Tyler shrugged. "Just tried to get you back."

"What exactly did you do?"

Tyler looked at Josh with a gentle and loving expression. "Just about everything."


	12. The Future Is Bulletproof

The aftermath was calm. Friends were untied and families could hug each other once again. The painting was destroyed and burned, it's ashes flushed down a toilet in a fit of rage. All in all, the ending to the strange tragedy was a beautiful one. 

"Hey," Josh spoke up over the loud road noise. They had been on tour for three days so far and were already bored in their free time. "Hey, Tyler."

"What?"

Five minutes of silence elapsed as Josh tried not to break into a grin. "Remember that time I got trapped in a painting?"

Tyler sighed. "That was like four days ago, Josh."

Josh laughed. "Hey. Hey, Tyler."

"What?"

"You wanna go thrift shopping?"

"Oh my god."


End file.
